Sunday, February 09, 2003

TNR Online | Ad Share [Tivo essay]

TNR Online | Ad Share [Tivo essay] "My TiVo seems to grasp my heterosexuality well enough, but it does insult my intelligence, suggesting programs featuring the antics of cute animals or sports like bowling and fly-fishing. This week it has flagged upcoming episodes of "MacGyver" and, perhaps concluding I am either eight or 80, "Lassie." Clearly there has been some kind of misunderstanding. But there's no harm done. My real concerns about its intentions run deeper: Perhaps it's the sleek facade, the silently glowing lights, or the tendency to do things without my permission, but my TiVo reminds me of HAL 9000. My fear is that one day it will regretfully inform me, in that Kubrickian deadpan, that the mission has changed and that I am to await orders from the office of Total Information Awareness."